Today we’d like to introduce you to David Memont.
David, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My desire for helping people start in high school, around 1995. I met a girl who had a broken back and was told she would be lucky to walk again, and she was an athlete and was told that would be out of the question. I don’t know exactly what it was that struct my curiosity to finding a solution to this huge life changing problem of hers and I didn’t even know her.
But needless to say, I felt the need to help and to make this short, the end result was she not only walked again but became 100% functional in every way and today she is a proud mom of three and we remain friends. Shortly after that, I left to join the Marine Corps, where I served four short years. I liked being a Marine and it taught me a lot of discipline and a lot of other things as well. But I knew that this was not for me to do for the rest of my life.
About a year after the Marines, 2002, I headed back to my old youth kickboxing school to start flipping tires, lifting stones and becoming a Strongman Athlete. The owner at the time told me I was doing very well as a competitor but at the same time was watching me coach the others along and asked if I had any interest in being a coach. So, in 2002, I became a certified personal trainer and started my continuing education immediately afterwards, doing whatever I could to learn from all the best coaches in the industry.
In 2004, I quit my full-time job and became a full-time coach. In 2005, I have received a fitness leadership award and in 2008 I received The Master Trainer Certificate. At this time, I also decided it was time to venture out on my own and started Strength Discovery as an online fitness consulting business to start. It wasn’t until 2012 that I opened my first location in Revere MA.
Just this year, in August of 2018, we had to move to a larger location in Malden MA, to be able to accommodate our increase in membership. Over the years I have had the privilege of training people from all walks of life. I have trained people for the NFL combines, the PAN AM Games, Mt Everest climb and America’s Strongest women, to name a few.
But my passion comes more from helping the local people in my community, I have trained several local youth athletes for all different sports, moms before during and after pregnancy, several people with MS, Scoliosis, cancer, fighting through chemo, and of course the many people battling with weight loss. The list goes on and on and I’m sure I am forgetting some cases of different people with different issues, but the point of Strength Discovery is Strength in Mind and then Strength in Body.
We accept people all shapes sizes and strength levels, but we only accept people that are seriously motivated and driven to reach their goals and are willing to put in all the work that is necessary, both in and out of the gym.
Has it been a smooth road?
I would not say it has been a smooth road but it hasn’t been too bumpy either. I have had some setbacks in finding time to run a business and manage a personal life of course and now with a wife and a baby girl finding that balance more and more important to me as well. Thankfully I have a very loving and supportive wife that also helps out when she can,
With every business, there is your normal setbacks, equipment breaking, building pipes freezing in the winter and causing a flood. The cost of doing business going up and up every year and finding new ways to generate more income to cover the cost without just pushing the cost to the clientele all the time.
The biggest obstacle has been with weeding out the less inspired and less motivated people to keep true to ourselves. Being able to tell people you don’t want their business regardless of the money they are giving you.
So, being able to be true to lose values, legitimately being in this business to help people first and make a profit second has been the hardest, but well worth it.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Strength Discovery is like its own little family, but we are a special family that is always willing to add to it and makes others feel like they belong, no matter their what their level of abilities are. The perfect example of how we are here and I wish I had it on camera because this did actually happen.
One a gentleman was in the gym squatting some very heavy weight and listening to very loud music and on the other side of the gym another coach who was working with an elder woman that was going through Chemotherapy and the simple act of stepping over a bar or bending over to get under a bar was a challenge for her.
Needless to say, as soon as the man was done with his squat he walked right over and to this woman that was struggling and started cheering her on. No one person here is more important than the other and we teach that to everyone that comes in. We encourage people to introduce themselves to everyone and make sure no one feels like they don’t belong.
What do we specialize in, well that’s a very broad question? I would have to say that we specialize in finding solutions and being straightforward about what we expect from everyone. We will work with anyone that is willing to work with us and give 100% to whoever is willing to do the same in return. But at the same, if the effort level isn’t matched by the client we will give a few chances to get it met, but if it doesn’t happen we will ask you to leave.
We are known for being strict, and not excepting excuses. We are known for always giving the brutally honest truth and not sugar coating anything. We find that the sugar coating causes delays in progress. At being completely honest with people tends to weed out the people that say there are motivated but really are not.
We are a teaching facility as well, we are not sitting back counting reps and telling you to do it our way or no way at all. We will tell you why you are doing it and how it’s going to affect your body and what muscles are being used, why we want you to do it this specific way. We will entertain different methodologies of training to always keep your works something new and interesting. But not at the cost of what really works versus what doesn’t.
We do not follow fitness trends, we do what works we have no interest in the thousands of others coaches out there that are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel. We pride ourselves on form, technique and safety above all else.
The name Strength Discovery does not come from the concept of being a physically strong person. It comes from being mentally strong, having the ability to admit your failures and or shortcomings and owning up to them and then actually making the changes and not just saying you’re going to make them. We will help you find that weakness and train them to be strengths.
These are some of the things that set us apart
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I don’t think city location is an issue to any who knows what they are doing knows what they are worth. But also studies the demo graph they are in and prices themselves accordingly.
Also, if you are just starting out, try not to pick a space that is outrageous in cost. Start small and work your way up.
Pricing:
- Programmed Membership $150 a month. Programs are written for you in great detail on how to train in our gym
- Basic Membership $75
- Personal Training $75 per session
- Personal Training twice a week $70 per session
- Personal Training 3 days a week $60 per session
- Small group personal training, add 50% of the sesion cost per person. Limit to 4 people per group
- Boot camp Membership 3 classes per week $175 per month Unlimited classes $199 per month
Contact Info:
- Address: 497 Broadway Malden MA 02148
- Website: www.mystrengthdiscovery.com
- Phone: 617-797-0198
- Email: info@mystrengthdiscovery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strengthdiscovery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strengthdiscovery12/?ref=bookmarks
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